Helmet safety

[marka 526]

Howdy,

So I've spent the morning reading about hockey helmet safety. HECC, STAR, etc. etc. I started doing that because my current helmet (Bauer 4500 w/2100 cage) isn't all that comfortable and I wanted to know which helmets I should keep an eye on in terms of clearance pricing, etc.

I frankly don't know what to think at this point.

I was happy to see the VT STAR system existed, but obviously not very impressed with the low rankings of nearly all the helmets. My current helmet is rated as no stars. Interestingly, when I was in Total Hockey the other day, the helmet that I thought fit / felt great (Bauer Re-Act) is only rated at one star. My son's new helmet (CCM FL40) is rated even worse than my Bauer 4500. His old helmet is a Bauer 2100, which is rated significantly better (of course, the reason he has a new helmet is that his old one is too small)*. My wife's IMS 5.0 helmet isn't on the list anywhere.

Also somewhat concerning, it doesn't seem like there's any correlation between manufacturer 'rank' (as expressed via price), and STAR rating. For instance, the CCM Resistance 300 ranks pretty well out of the group they have ratings for, but the next step up, the Resistance, is rated significantly worse. The Warrior Krown 360 ranks the best, but is no longer available and all the other Warrior helmets are ranked significantly worse. I don't really understand why this would be... My only guess is that comfort and lightness are driving a decrease in protection?

Since I make my living using my brain and my son is getting into the sport as well, this crap matters a decent bit to me. But right now, I don't see how I can make any reasonable decision. I've read various critiques against the STAR system, but a lot of those come off as "we don't want to hear about any of that safety stuff". I come from a motorsports background and while helmets and their safety is pretty well mature at this point, I've seen the head and neck restraint stuff happen first hand. The arguments I'm reading against STAR are surprisingly similar in tone to those nay-sayers had regarding H&NR devices at the beginning. Today, there's broad acceptance that head and neck restraint is pretty much required.

Anyway, I'm curious what you all that have a whole lot more hockey experience than me think about all this. And for you folks out there that want the most protection in your helmet and are concerned about concussions... What are you doing?

Mark

* and yes, I know that the STAR system rated only adult helmets and those results may not correlate to kids. Its still not very comforting to read those results.

[Chadd 916]

The short answer is that manufacturers have not designed their helmets to score well with the VT test yet. HECC and CSA have only ever published a pass/fail list to the public and there has never been an incentive to perform at a higher level. Weight, visual appeal and most importantly, cost still drive most helmet purchasing decisions in hockey as well. We may begin to see that shift as concussion awareness is becoming more mainstream.

[IPv6Freely 2096]

Worth mentioning here is that plastic goalie masks pass HECC and CSA, if that says anything about the level of those standards (in general, I know we're talking about player helmets here).

[YesLanges 128]

How much of the constant "evolution" of modern helmets do you think is really functional versus just marketing? I use a couple of different CCM helmets from the 1970s and 1980s (with the side bumpers) that were used almost universally in the NHL from maybe 1976 to 1990 and a couple from the early 1990s that were almost as widely-used in the NHL for about another decade. I've also had my skates taken out from under me a couple of times, hitting the ice as hard as you can hit your head on the ice, and with no injury. Granted, there were some versions of the earliest padding that I wouldn't trust (like the Styrofoam bubbles) and some of them had padding that might be too stiff, but with any of the right versions of the later padding that came with them, I'd be surprised if they're any less protective than the best modern helmets they make. What do you guys think who wore these back in the day (like RedDevilPara)? I know you posted a picture of yourself wearing one in 1980 in the Photos thread.